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Please deliver me, Lord. We have here a movie that gets preachy about agnosticism. What pure hokum, but the book was worse.
I greatly enjoyed the special effects. Otherwise, it is weakly disguised propaganda and not for anyone who can think for themselves.

It plays like late works by Clarke and Asimov read...with an unbecoming chip on the shoulder (not that there are too many becoming "chips on the shoulder"}.

"Contact" has some good points; Jodie Foster, fun effects, and a use of color that i appreciated. I do not recall the soundtrack, but that is always an exciting part of a film for me to discover.
dj

Before I start the review, a note: If you're a die-hard science fiction buff and you haven't seen this movie, see it *immediately*. One of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring, thought-provoking science-fiction movies ever made. Period."Contact" is based on the book of the same name, which was written by the late Carl Sagan(whose death is a true loss to the scientific community). The film is directed by Robert Zemeckis, of "Forrest Gump" fame. "Strange choice for a science-fiction movie," you're probably thinking right now. Well, not quite.Jodie Foster plays the lead role here, and she seems to be the -only- person who could pull it off. Her acting is absolutely phenomenal, and Zemeckis' direction pulls the movie along in the right direction(no pun intended). There are no silly moments, no meaningless parts in this film. This is a movie where the characters play a more important part than the special effects. It's essential that you care for the character on screen, the heroine, who symbolises humanity's hopes and dreams. In that respect, Zemeckis was the right choice.While the film revolves around a central theme - humanity's first contact with an extra-terrestrial species - it also deals with our basic humanity, the fundamental questions of God and life. No, it doesn't answer these questions, but it does make you think, and keep you thinking even after the movie is over, which is something that's incredibly rare to be found in -any- movie at all.There are a few implausibilities, but these are very minor and serve only to make the movie more audience-friendly than scientific-research-member-friendly. The special effects are amazing -- perfect, actually, for this kind of movie. The eye candy actually fits the scene; the visual effects aren't here to pump the movie up or add ill-fitting epic grandeur(but don't think that the movie isn't epic in scope. It is.) The 'machine' built later on is sufficiently vague enough that you can suspend your disbelief to immerse yourself in the events that immediately follow -- and who knows, such a thing might actually be possible with the right(alien? ;) technology. Also, the opening sequence is extremely well executed. But the entire movie hinges on the acting and the screenplay. If the lead role had been played badly, this movie wouldn't mean half as much as it does now. For that, Jodie Foster deserves to have her name immortalised... she's certainly one of the best actresses that Hollywood has ever had. The screenplay was well-written: I haven't read the book yet, but if it's anything like the movie, it shall occupy a very special place on my bookshelf.Weak parts? Its treatment of religion, if you're a specifically religious person. It's a decidedly minor point, since there's nothing here against religion, per se; just that the treatment is a little weak. But you can only fit so much into a two hour movie. Other than that, everything else is competently done. There might be one or two other weak things about it, but they're eclipsed by everything else about this movie that's been done so well."Contact" is not an action movie. It is the kind of movie that makes action movies saturated with computerised special effects and weak, cliched plotlines want to hide their heads in the sand forever.Engaging characters, beautiful dialogue, enthralling special effects, an extraordinary, immersive plot, and an ending that leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling(don't worry, it's a very nice feeling) inside -- a movie which, above all, gives you a sense of hope. That movie is Contact."Contact" clearly shines brighter than the rest for its gentle human touch alone. That's the highest praise I can give it.